Retainment
by Umbradominus19
Summary: (Several years Post-Conquest) Kana was more than used to strangeness in her life. Being part dragon? Check. Her parents apparently being siblings? Check. Having three nut-ball retainers consisting of a battle scarred (both literally and metaphysically) swordsman/mentor, A wanderlust filled mage and philosopher, and a walking-talking oxymoron as a best friend? So much check.
1. Introductions Part 1

_***CLANG***_

Kana's arms nearly buckled against the weight of the opposing force against her sword. Her eyes glared with intensity into her enemy's, his emerald irises exuding a combination of collected and fierce.

She pressed all her strength upon her blade, hoping she could make the man before her collapse under her might.

Kana's sword pushed forward against the foe's own, her arms slightly shaking from the amount of power she was exerting.

 _C'mon…_

The man's own blade shook from his desperate attempt to gain the upper hand in the clash.

 _Yes…_

He was starting to lean back from Kana's muscular endeavors.

 _Almost got it-_

"Ah!"

Kana yelped out as she fell backwards onto to stone floor below, her sword coming loose from her grasp and clattering away a few meters to her side.

"Ow…" Kana muttered whilst leaning up and rubbing her back to ease any hurting she could, clenching her eyes out due to a wash of pain and shame. She then heard a deep chuckle coming from above.

"Around how many training sessions do you think I've gotten you with that leg sweep?"

The young woman opened her eyes to see a hand being offered to her, the man's green eyes now kindly. Albeit with a large hint of smugness. Kana sighed, blowing a stray hair out of her eyes to try and show her frustration.

"I think the more appropriate question, Tyrus, is how many times you _**haven't**_ gotten me with that leg sweep." She said, taking the man's hand and standing up.

"You might have a point there." Tyrus said with no trace of irony. Intentionally, most likely.

"Oh, shut up." Kana said while smiling, walking over to pick up her sword. "So, what pointers do you have for me this time?"

"Only the usual: You need to stop being so reckless." Kana's mentor stated. "I understand that it's much easier to rely on brute force and it's hard for most to think strategically when in the heat of battle, but having a keen eye to exploit an enemy's weakness will be the key that unlocks the door of possibility in most skirmishes."

"I know, I know." Kana said with some annoyance, somewhat flustered having to hear this lecture for the umpteenth time. "I just can't help it. Recklessness is in my blood. I am part dragon, after all."

"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you're a very prominent figure for Nohr and you need to have all the experience you can get when it comes to battle."

"Excuse me," Kana began with an incredulous chuckle. "But did you by any chance forget that I fought in a war when I was young?"

"And do you, by any chance, have any idea what your family would feel like if you were to perish?" Tyrus said curtly.

… Silence.

Kana looked down in shame, seeing the very reasonable point that her mentor was trying to make. Seeing this wash of guilt, Tyrus sighed and said:

"Please understand, Kana: I say this not to make you feel down upon yourself. I say this because I want you to be prepared. Though we may have peace for now, the world we live in is an uncertain one. Anything could happen to you from assassination, to ambush, to another war." Tyrus stepped closer to Kana and place a hand on her shoulder.

"I just want to make sure nothing hurts you. You gave me a fresh start on life, and I along with your parents, aunts and uncles, and especially Alyss and Faust would be devastated if any one of the things I mentioned earlier were to happen to you. You mean the world to so many people, and to see not only their world, but yours, come tumbling down would be heartbreaking. Do you understand?"

Kana looked into Tyrus' eyes. They were filled with ferocity like they always were, but in a different sense. A ferocity of simultaneous worry and care, if that at all made sense.

Kana began to laugh.

"What?" Tyrus asked in legitimate confusion.

"You know, you talk a big game, but you're really just a big softie." Kana answered.

Tyrus flinched and began to pinch the bridge of his nose before saying:

"You're lucky that we're by ourselves, because normally if you used the word 'softie' in regards to me and there would be other people around… there would be irreparable damages."

"Aww, but I thought you just said you wanted to protect me?"

… Silence again.

Kana burst out laughing again.

"I'm just messing with you!" She said, lightly punching Tyrus on the arm.

His expression was not one Kana would label as 'pleasant'.

Her laughter dying down, Kana recomposed herself nervously:

"A-a-anyway, do you want to go another round? I'm itching to beat you after our last match."

Tyrus' expression seemed to even out at this. However, his response was not one that Kana was expecting.

"I think we're actually good for today. You may have been your usual reckless self, but you did almost make me collapse. That's a deserving enough feat to end early today."

"Oh." Kana said, surprised and somewhat disappointed. "If you say so."

Suddenly, a thought struck Kana.

"Oh no!" She said, rushing towards the door to the sparring room. "I'm late!"

"Late for what?" Tyrus asked rhetorically. He knew that Kana only ever got this worked up over one person.

"I promised Alyss that I would meet her outside the castle by now!"

"Ah." Said Tyrus, markedly unsurprised. "If that's the case, how long are you expecting to be gone?"

"At least for a while, I'm going to be seeing Faust after I'm done with Alyss. Since that's the case, would you mind telling mom and dad that I'm going to be out for a while?"

"What's the point? You're practically out late every night, what with your time with Allys and your meetings with Faust." Tyrus reasoned.

Kana's only response was an annoyed glare.

"… But, I suppose if it will make you feel at ease…" Tyrus conceded with a sigh.

"Thanks." Kana breathed out, smiling with relief. She knew Tyrus had a point, but she still didn't want to betray her parent's trust. "See you!" She called out before heading through the door.

"Have fun." Tyrus said somewhat half-mindedly.

 ***SLAM***

Tyrus peered around the empty room, contemplating to himself.

 _I probably should have kept her around for one more round, or at least gave her a lesson on how to know when a flank is open. Then again, maybe not. She practically lives for Alyss and Faust._

Tyrus allowed himself a slight smile.

 _Granted, she practically lives for everyone she gets close to. From the little I've talked to him, I can see why people constantly compare her to Corrin._

Closing his eyes slowly, Tyrus reached for his blade, unsheathing it from its compartment. He gave a few experimental swings, effortlessly shifting the sword's weight from one hand to the other in what would be deadly arcs in actual battle.

 _Whether or not she'll be thrusted into a situation like her father's past endeavors…_

Tyrus held the sword with both hands in a horizontal fashion in front of his eyes.

He opened them, staring with intensity back at himself.

 _I will see to it that she won't… ever._

* * *

 **Good Morrow, People of Fanfiction! Not sure if you could gather just by reading this, but this is my first endeavor into the realm of Fire Emblem Fanfiction. With that being said, any criticism that any of you lovely readers may have is welcome, and any corrections to canonical errors I've made is more than welcome.**

 **On a different note, eventually I will be taking requests for this story. However, that's still a couple chapters away (after some character introductions and origins), so I'll be sure to let you lot know when exactly I'm taking them.**

 **With that being said, please leave your reviews and tell me what you think/what I can improve!**

 **P.S. Sorry that this and next few chapters will be so short, I just want to get some basic character building stuff out of the way, yet at the same time I want to give each of the retainers time to shine. I hope you folks understand.**


	2. Introductions Part 2

**Please read author's note at the end**.

* * *

"So, milady, what excuse for your lateness do you have for me this time?"

As Kana finally made it to the outskirts of the castle at this point (the evening sunset making the princess squint her eyes to adjust to the change of light), a steady pace of jogging through its halls helping in that endeavor, she was notified to the presence of the young woman she was looking for due to last comment ringing through the air.

Her hair was an electric blue, tied in a ponytail to keep longer curls away from her eyes. The eyes of said girl, however, contrasted greatly to her hair with a deep (almost sensual) purple hue. On another hand, her face was etched deeply with an air of competition, smiling almost manically as if anyone who looked her way would be in for a challenge. She was clad in light leather armor with a small sword at her hip and a bow against her back, most likely due to the very probable reason that she had recently got off practice with the castle's guard. Though, Kana could very easily assume that "practice" for the young woman was more along the lines of "making all other guard members and possibly the captain look like slackers and as a result sneak out early due to boredom".

Kana, however, knowing the young woman like the back of her hand scratched off "more along the lines of" to "almost certainly consisting of".

The dragon princess openly smiled at both this thought process of hers and the question posed by her friend, and finally answered:

"Sorry I'm late again, Alyss. You should have seen it though, I had Tyrus on the ropes! He practically crumbled from the second I walked in-"

"He got you with the leg sweep again, didn't he?" Alyss said in a deadpanned fashion, still smiling.

"I still wonder how I keep getting fooled by that maneuver." Kana responded near immediately after, proving Alyss' suspicions.

The two young women had a decent laugh to this exchange, before it dying down with Alyss saying:

"Anyways, we should probably get going if we want to get to the capitol at a decent hour. Ebony still isn't feeling well, so we're going to have to hoof it."

"Pun intended?" Kana asked in regards to the mentioning of Alyss' horse and the phrase "hoof it".

"How soon you forget, Kana: The pun is _**always**_ intended when it comes to me." The blue haired woman said with an almost proud smile.

"Oh, I never forget, I just needed confirmation because of how bad it was. Seriously, you're on the way of becoming captain of the guard, do you have any self-respect?" Kana inquired in a humorous tone.

"Okay little missy, just for that you're paying if we get any food." Responded Alyss with a chuckled as she turned her heel to start walking to the gates of the castle.

"I hope you realize what you said was an extremely flawed statement." Kana countered as she began to walk as well.

"How so?" Alyss questioned defensively.

"You're only a few years older than me so 'Little Missy' doesn't hold that much relevance, I always pay for food so your threat means nothing, and you're 'if' in that sentence should be changed to 'when' because it's a near certainty that we get something to eat whenever we go to the capitol."

Alyss stopped in her trackes and turned around to her friend in order to state her case, but other than her index finger pointed towards Kana and her mouth opened as if to say something, she soon sighed in defeat and began to trudge towards the castle gates once more.

"You need to stop hanging around Faust. He's making you too good at arguing." Alyss said jokingly.

"That's a bad thing?" Kana asked incredulously.

"It is for me, who's about as dumb as a sack full of sacks full of hammers and couldn't argue if her life depended on it…" Alyss said in a surprisingly bitter tone, eyes becoming downcast from Kana's view.

The princess noticed the change in her friend's mood and picked up her pace so she was at Alyss' side and put her hand on the purple eyed woman's shoulder.

"Aw, don't be so hard on yourself. You and I both know that Faust is kind of out of most people's league when it comes to intellect, so not only you but practically anyone comparing themselves to him in that field is a fight they're going to lose." Kana reasoned, hoping to cheer up her companion.

"… Eh, I guess you're right." Alyss conceded with a shrug on her shoulders and a complacent look in her eyes.

"Besides," Kana started with a smirk. "While you may not be able to face him fairly in a battle of wits, it's no secret that you could easily kick Faust's arse in an _**actual**_ fight."

If Kana's previous defense for Alyss didn't cheer her up, this one certainly did. Quite quickly, as well.

"You're damn right about that!" Alyss exclaimed, her manic grin and predatory look in her eyes returning. "I mean, have you seenFaust for the past _ **ever**_ since you've known him? He's as pale as a ghost and thin as a twig, of course I could take him!" Continued with fervor.

 _There's the girl I know._ Kana thought with a smile, relieved to see Alyss out of one of her brief stupors. In the back of her mind, though, Kana did need to remind herself that Faust could be extremely dangerous if under the right circumstances…

Kana peered at the bow slung across her friend's back for a moment, the steel tip of the arrow already set in place if danger were to arrive gleaming menacingly against the light of the sunset.

… Then again, so could Alyss.

"Anyways, let's move." Said bow wielder, snapping Kana out of her internal monologue. "We've a town to paint red!" Alyss continued excitedly.

"Yeah, let's go!" Kana exclaimed, joining in her friend's enthusiasm.

The two companions continued on the road to the capitol at a brisk pace, Kana internally comparing the chilled autumn air hitting against her skin like a hammer.

 _Hammer, huh?_ Kana thought with more than iota of mischievousness, recalling back to Alyss' statement to her intelligence being comparable to a sack full of sacks full of hammers.

"Oh, and one more thing, Alyss:" Kana began. "You're nowhere _**near**_ as stupid as how you said you are."

"Thanks for that." Alyss said naively, taking the bait to Kana's delight.

"Exactly. The sacks would be filled with rocks, not hammers."

Alyss' eyes widened both at her best friend's statement and how said companion rushed passed her after saying it.

"Oh, you… get back here!" Alyss called out as she began to run after Kana, her eyes and smile somehow increasing in their predatory intensity.

Both of the young women started laughing once again. Call them childish, immature, or what have you in regards to their behavior, they couldn't care less. It moments like these they cherished the most: No having to upkeep an appearance for a kingdom, no strict regimens to follow. Just two friends enjoying the bond they had without any filters or consequences.

Alyss, her competitive side (which was most of her sides) still showing vibrantly externally, had developed an internal calm and feeling of satisfaction.

She couldn't ask for a friend more perfect for her than Kana. Even if she tried.

* * *

 **Good Morrow, People of Fanfiction!**

 **First off, I'd just like to say for those of you following this story: I'm sorry this took so long. I've just been busy with both other story ideas and trying to overcome a creative dry spell, so this fell to the back-burner.**

 **However, thanks to a small strike of inspiration, I was able to at least churn this out (even if its somewhat rough around the edges). Now, I may try to continue this work, but that all depends on you lovely folks reading this liking it enough to see it progressed further.**

 **With that said, please leave your reviews to tell me what you think/what to improve/you're thoughts on this story's continuation.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, these wouldn't be nearly as fun or fulfilling without you, you wonderful lot!**


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